Thermal forming of components with laser energy is evolving into a viable manufacturing technology with commercial applications spanning diverse domains such as high-volume automotive part production, microelectronic device fabrication and shape tuning turbomachinery airfoils.
Thermal forming allows non-contact or die-less forming by the judicious application of heat to a workpiece. The deformation of the workpiece is permanent or “plastic” and may be retained even after subsequent heat-treatments. The potential uses of the thermal forming technology become clearer when considering circumstances where forming with dies are cumbersome, costly, inadequate, and/or time consuming. Thermal forming may be a reasonable alternative in cases where use of dies presents one or more of these shortcomings.